The Villa Wolkonsky is a former aristocratic residence in the centre of Rome built in the early 19th century, with a storied and important, but for a long time not easily accessible collection of antiquities. The collection has recently been systematically restored for better preservation and presentation on the premises of the residence, which today serves the British ambassador to Italy. After the restoration was completed, the Photo Library of the German Archaeological Institute at Rome was able to acquire the documentary photographic collection of the project and to conduct a new photographic mission. The academic part of the project has been carried out by Raffaella Bucolo. The collection is available online in the Arachne database.
Abstract Here we present the first isotopic investigation of a Vandalic period site (ca. 5th–6th centuries AD), the Theodosian Wall cemetery at Carthage, in modern day Tunis, Tunisia. The focus of this research is to determine the general diet and food consumption patterns of this population during this important and pivotal period of antiquity in North Africa. To this end, collagen stable isotope ratios (δ 13 C, δ 15 N) are reported for a variety of fauna ( n = 20) and humans ( n = 70). The human mean±SD results (δ 13 C = −19.3 ± 0.4‰; δ 15 N = 10.7 ± 1.4‰) reflect a diet that was based predominantly on C 3 terrestrial plants with varying amounts of animal protein from domestic animals such as sheep/goats, cows, and pigs. No statistically significant isotopic differences between males and females, developmental age, or time period of burial were found. The isotopic results from the Theodosian Wall cemetery at Carthage are compared to eight previously published Roman and Early Byzantine sites from the Mediterranean region (Carrer Ample 1, Joan Planells, S'Hort des Llimoners (Spain); Isola Sacra, Velia, Herculaneum (Italy); Ephesus (Turkey); and Leptiminus (Tunisia)). The lack of significant amounts of marine foods in the diets of the Vandal era population at Carthage is in stark contrast to the Roman inhabitants of Leptiminus, where significant consumption of marine‐derived dietary resources was found. As Leptiminus is ~180 km southeast of Carthage, the work presented here shows that large dietary differences existed in North African populations during antiquity.
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